Love Remembered
Author: Ann Bell
Publisher: Heartsong Presents/Barbour
ISBN: 9781577485407
Binding: Mass Market
Love Remembered was re-released as part of the Montana Collection:
Montana (Inspirational Romance Collections) (Paperback)
by Ann Bell (Author)
Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Incorporated (August 1, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 157748794X
ISBN-13: 978-1577487944
Love Remembered dealt with a number of issues: teen pregnancy, abortion(nobody had an abortion, but the subject was mentioned numerous times throughout the story), and disabilities (spina bifida).
Dawn Harkness is an OB GYN nurse. When one of her teenaged patients is kicked out of her house because of her pregnancy, Dawn takes the young lady, Sarah, into her home. Sarah’s mother does not want her daughter in her home since she’s pregnant, and the baby will be disabled due to spina bifida. Sarah’s mother urges her daughter to get an abortion, but Sarah refuses.
As Sarah lives with Dawn, she discovers the meaning of true Christian love. When Sarah’s baby is born, Dawn takes a month off from work to help care for the baby. Conflict arises when they need to decide how to care for Charity’s (Sarah’s baby) needs. She needs special care, and Sarah will not be able to provide that for her baby and she doesn’t want to place her into an institution.
Meanwhile, Sarah’s mother comes back into the picture, embracing her daughter and her new granddaughter. She apologizes for demanding that Sarah get an abortion, and Dawn encourages their family to attend church.
When the father of Sarah’s baby turns out to be from a family that Dawn is acquainted with, things get even more complicated.
Meanwhile Dawn tries to live a normal life despite all that’s going on. She dates Mike Archer, a doctor at the hospital. However, she discovers that Mike is not the right man for her due to his views on abortion, and his opinions about Christianity. She breaks things off with him, stating that she can not date a non-believer.
Also, Ryan Reynolds, her brother’s childhood friend, is in love with her. She becomes reacquainted with Ryan when he appears at the doctor’s office (where she works) selling medical supplies. Ryan doesn’t know if a romance can blossom between them since he travels a lot selling medical supplies. When it appears he’s going to be moving into her town permanently, it turns out that things fall through because his company is being bought out, and Ryan loses his job. How can he support a wife and family without a job, and Dawn wonders how Ryan will be able to fit into her life? She’s taking care of an infant, and she’s not sure if Ryan would be willing to accept a ready-made family.
I thought this book would make a great teaching tool to give to young girls so that they can see the affects of teenaged pregnancy. I could see giving this book, along with Tilly by Frank Peretti, to teenaged women to teach them about abstinance, and the results of having unprotected sex.
Cecelia Dowdy
www.ceceliadowdy.com